Richard "Dick" McDonald(February 16, 1909 – July 14, 1998) andMaurice "Mac" McDonald(November 26, 1902 – December 11, 1971), collectively known as theMcDonald Brothers,were American entrepreneurs who founded thefast foodcompanyMcDonald's.
Richard and Maurice McDonald | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Years active | 1940–1998 |
| Known for | FoundingMcDonald's |
| Richard McDonald | |
| Born | February 16, 1909[1]Manchester, New Hampshire,U.S. |
| Died | July 14, 1998(aged 89) Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Maurice McDonald | |
| Born | November 26, 1902[2]
Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Died | December 11, 1971(aged 69) Palm Springs, California,U.S. |
The brothers opened the original McDonald's restaurant in 1940 inSan Bernardino, California,where they created the Speedee Service System to produce their meals, a method that became the standard for the fast food industry. After hiringRay Krocas their franchise agent in 1954, they continued to run the company until they were bought out by Kroc in 1961.
Early life
editThe McDonald brothers were born inManchester, New Hampshire,toIrishparents Patrick James fromDingleand Margaret Anna Curran McDonald, who came to theUnited Statesas children.[3][4]Maurice was born in 1902, and Richard was born in 1909.[5]In the 1920s, the family moved to California, where Patrick opened a food stand inMonroviain 1937.[6]
Careers
editThe first restaurant the McDonald brothers opened in 1937 was inLos Angeles.[7]In the 1940s the McDonald brothers operated a successfuldrive-in restaurant,but found several factors were cutting into their profits. Some of the more expensive menu items, such as barbecue sandwiches, were rarely ordered, and they used actual dishes, which were constantly lost or broken, plus the reputation of drive-ins becoming seedy hangouts for teenagers were driving whole families away.
In 1948, the brothers fully redesigned and rebuilt their restaurant in San Bernardino to focus on a reduced menu consisting of their nine most profitable and cost-effective items: In addition to their 15-cent hamburger, the menu included a cheeseburger, soft drinks, milk, coffee, potato fries, and a slice of pie.[8]Their restaurant was about a mile fromroute 66at 1398 North E Street at West 14th Street in San Bernardino. The site is now a museum.[9]The first months of the revived restaurant were a struggle, as many customers expected carhops to serve them like other drive-in restaurants, rather than having to walk up to the restaurant's window to order. The brothers persisted, keeping their simple menu, aside from replacing the potato chips with french fries. The restaurant soon appealed to drivers on the go who could get a quick meal with no waiting, and it also appealed to families that could eat a whole meal cheaply.
The McDonald brothers' restaurant was a success, and with the goal of making $1 million before they turned 50,[10]the McDonald brothers beganfranchisingtheir restaurant system in 1953. The first franchise was a restaurant inPhoenix, Arizona,operated by Neil Fox.[8]
The brothers drew the attention ofRay Kroc,amilkshake mixersalesman for Prince Castle.[11]After they purchased eight of his Multi-Mixers for theirSan Bernardino, Californiarestaurant, Kroc visited that restaurant in 1954.[12]That year the McDonald brothers hired Kroc as their franchise agent. Kroc took 1.9% of gross sales, of which the McDonald brothers got 0.5%.[13][14]
Kroc became frustrated with the McDonald brothers' desire to maintain a small number of restaurants. The brothers also consistently told Kroc he could not make changes to things such as the original blueprint. Kroc eventually decided he wanted control of the company entirely, Kroc bought the company in 1961 for $2,700,000 (equivalent to $27,500,000 in 2023), calculated so as to ensure each brother received $1,000,000 (equivalent to $10,200,000 in 2023) after taxes.[15]
At the closing, Kroc became annoyed that the brothers would not transfer to him the real estate and rights to the original San Bernardino location. The brothers had told Kroc they were giving the operation, property and all, to the founding employees. In his anger, Kroc later opened a new McDonald's restaurant near the original McDonald's, which had been renamed "The Big M" because the brothers had neglected to retain rights to the name. "The Big M" closed six years later.[16]Speaking to someone about the buyout, Richard McDonald reportedly said that he had no regrets.[17]
On November 30, 1984, Richard McDonald, the first cook behind the grill of a McDonald's, was served the ceremonial 50 billionth McDonald's hamburger by Ed Rensi, then-president of McDonald's USA, at theGrand Hyatt hotelin New York City.[18][19][20]
Death and legacy
editMaurice McDonald died fromheart failure[21]at his home inPalm Springs, California,on December 11, 1971, at the age of 69.[22]
Richard McDonald also died from heart failure in a nursing home inManchester, New Hampshire,on July 14, 1998, at the age of 89.[23]He was buried at the Mount Calvary Cemetery in Manchester.[10][19][24]
In the 2016 filmThe Founder,a biopic about Ray Kroc and his business relationship with the McDonald brothers, Richard (Dick) McDonald is played byNick Offerman,[25][26]andJohn Carroll Lynchportrays Maurice (Mac) McDonald.[26]
The site of the first McDonald's was purchased in 1998 byAlbert Okura,founder of restaurant chainJuan Pollo,who moved his company's headquarters to the location and established an unofficial McDonald'smuseumon the site.[9][27]
References
edit- ^legacy.com
- ^legacy.com
- ^"Maurice J Mc Donald," New Hampshire Birth Certificates - Birth certificate states birthplace of father and mother ".RetrievedDecember 29,2023.
- ^"When Dad Lost His Job, the McDonald Brothers Started a Fast-Food Empire".3 February 2017.
- ^Chatelain, Marcia (2020). "Chapter One: Fast Food Civil Rights".Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America.New York City:Liveright Publishing.p. 25.ISBN978-1-63149-394-2.
- ^Muldoon, John P. (May 28, 2013)."From Immigration to Mega-Wealth".johnmuldoon.ie. Archived fromthe originalon September 18, 2013.RetrievedJuly 12,2021.
- ^Richard Pillsbury (2018).No Foreign Food: The American Diet In Time And Place.Taylor & Francis. p. 181.ISBN9780429967214.
- ^ab"OurHistory".McDonald's.RetrievedApril 26,2021.
- ^ab"Original McDonald's Site & Museum".California Route 66 Association.Archivedfrom the original on June 12, 2020.RetrievedJune 12,2020.
- ^abGilpin, Kenneth N. (July 16, 1998)."Richard McDonald, 89, Fast-Food Revolutionary".The New York Times.RetrievedJune 5,2017.
- ^Neil Snyder (June 15, 2010).Vision, Values, and Courage: Leadership for Quality Management.Simon and Schuster. p. 133.ISBN978-1-4516-0252-4.
- ^"Our History: Ray Kroc & The McDonald's Brothers".McDonald's.Retrieved2021-09-12.
- ^Brancaccio, David (February 9, 2017)."The true origin story behind McDonald's".Marketplace.Archivedfrom the original on September 7, 2023.RetrievedSeptember 7,2023.
- ^Gross, Daniel (October 1996)Forbes' Greatest Business Stories of All TimeJohn Wiley & SonsISBN978-0-471-14314-7
- ^"Ray Kroc: Burger Baron".Entrepreneur.October 9, 2008.RetrievedMay 29,2019.
- ^Kroc, R. (1977).Grinding It Out.H. Regnery. p. 123].ISBN9780809282593.
- ^Gilpin, Kenneth N. (July 16, 1998)."Richard McDonald, 89, Fast-Food Revolutionary".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Archivedfrom the original on September 21, 2021.RetrievedJuly 25,2023.
- ^Anderson Heller, Susan; Dunlap, David W. (November 21, 1984)."50 Billion and Still Cooking".The New York Times.p. B3.RetrievedMay 28,2021.
- ^abVelasco, Alejandra Yáñez (July 1998)."Restaurant Innovator Richard McDonald Dies at 89: Pioneered McDonald's, World's Largest Restaurant System".Hotel Online. Archived fromthe originalon January 19, 2017.RetrievedMay 14,2012.
- ^"La reina de la cocina (rápida) cumple 100 años".El Mundo (Spain)(in Spanish). May 30, 2004. Archived fromthe originalon February 12, 2005.RetrievedMay 28,2021.
- ^Stice, Joel (March 15, 2019)."The Tragic Real-Life Story Of The McDonald Brothers".Mashed.Archived fromthe originalon May 30, 2020.RetrievedMay 26,2021.
- ^"Maurice J. McDonald Dies at 69; Hamburger Chain's Co Founder".The New York Times.December 14, 1971. Archived fromthe originalon August 12, 2017.RetrievedMay 26,2021.
- ^Gilpin, Kenneth N. (July 16, 1998)."Richard McDonald, 89, Fast-Food Revolutionary".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedOctober 21,2017.
- ^"Fast food supremo dies"Archived2022-01-31 at theWayback MachineJuly 15, 1998.BBCNews. Accessed January 6, 2007.
- ^Eschner, Kat (February 16, 2017)."Nick Offerman's Character in 'The Founder' Is Based on This Real Historical Figure".Smithsonian Magazine.Archived fromthe originalon February 17, 2017.RetrievedMay 26,2021.
- ^abItzkoff, Dave (January 18, 2017)."'The Founder': Burgers, Fries and a Couple of Wiseguys ".The New York Times.Archived fromthe originalon January 18, 2017.RetrievedMay 26,2021.
- ^Elliott, Farley (Oct 27, 2023)."California's unofficial McDonald's museum is a fast food fever dream".sfgate.com.
